Principal's Report

It's A New Season

Once again our wonderful Performing Arts teachers planned and coordinated a memorable event as our Year 1 and 2 students took to the bright lights in their performance of ‘It's A New Season’. The theatre was brimming with excitement and anticipation, as families and friends took great pride and enjoyment in seeing our students perform with confidence and verve.

It can be daunting to perform in front of a large audience, however our students took this as an opportunity to rise to the occasion and were fantastic with their singing, dancing and speaking. Everyone was so proud of our students and impressed by their talents. What a fantastic evening!

Thank you to all the staff who assisted in making this concert happen. A special mention to our Year 1 and 2 Performing Arts Teacher, Keri, whose attention to detail made sure that the night was a roaring success.

Year 5 Camp

Last week it was the turn of our Year 5 students to be waved off at the school gate as they headed to Anglesea for a three day camp. The photos alone show what a fantastic experience the students had. They embraced the opportunity to work as a team in completing a range of outdoor activities. They challenged themselves on ropes courses, in canoes, on mountain bikes, with a turn on the giant swing and hut building to name just a few of their activities.

The school received first class feedback from the camp’s staff, who complimented our students on the kindness and respect that they showed each other.

These camps are only possible with the support of staff and parents. We are grateful to Anna, Lauren, Naomi and Jayde for going along to the camp, as well as to parents Michael Pascoe, Linda Read, Maree Nowak and Andrew Binns.

Attendance at school camps has been a media topic over recent weeks, with schools needing to make adjustments due to the recent Victorian Government School Agreement and the financial implications that camps now have. FPS continues to value the positive impact that outdoor camps have on the development of students, and with the support of staff and parent volunteers, hope to maintain our camps in the years to come.

Father’s/Special Person’s Breakfast

A couple of weeks ago we hosted our Father’s/Special Person’s Breakfast. This is always a well-attended event with lots of people enjoying the opportunity to spend time with a bacon and egg roll and a cup of coffee. A perfect way to spend a Friday morning!

Thank you to Jennifer Clark for her coordination; she was here at 6am preparing, and then back in the afternoon to assist with cleaning up. Thank you also to the many parents that assisted.

Division Athletics

We aim for all children find their opportunity to shine and excel in the areas that interest them. The athletics track is one of those places, with FPS students continuously displaying fantastic sporting abilities.

Last week 20 students attended the Darebin Division Athletics Carnival at Meadowglen Athletics track. To qualify for the Northern Metropolitan Region (NMR) students were to finish first or second in their event.

I am pleased to share that 16 of these students qualified for the NMR event which is being held on Wednesday the 11 October at Meadowglen Athletics track.

Three relay teams qualify, 9/10 girls, boys and the 12/13 girls.
Six students have qualified in individual events.

Congratulations to everyone who reached this stage - the level is very competitive. And of course, best of luck to those that have qualified for the Regional event.

Our Major School Community Events

An ongoing topic of conversation in and around the school grounds is the ability of the school to host two major school community events in a year - Art4All and the School Fair. Both events are hugely popular and are always eagerly looked forward to.

At the conclusion of last year’s Art4All event, a parent questionnaire was distributed to gauge parent feedback on various aspects of the event. One of the overwhelming messages conveyed in the parents’ responses was the strain that having two major events puts on our community, and the impact that this has on recruiting volunteers.

This feedback led to further discussion at Social Club (a subcommittee of School Council) where members of the Art4All attended and School Fair committees shared their perspectives in holding two major events.

As a result of this consultation and feedback, the following motion was made and approval given at last week’s School Council meeting.

‘That Art4All and the Fair are combined, making it the one major school event each calendar year, with key Fair elements to be built into the Family Day.’

Whilst there is lots to work out about how combining the events would work, this decision provides clarity about the future of our major school community events, whilst hopefully reducing the load on our parent volunteers.

Out of School Hours Care Provider

Another item that School Council have been discussing is our Out of School Hours Care provider. Our current contract with OSHClub expires at the end of this year. After calling for Expressions of Interest earlier in the term, at our next meeting, School Council will be meeting with providers who have submitted a response. We will keep you informed of this process and School Council’s decision via the newsletter.

Staffing Update

At the end of this term we are saying goodbye (for now) to three of our teachers:

Faye Soderstrom (Year 5) will be going on maternity and family leave from the start of next term. We wish Faye and her family all the very best at this exciting time.
Serena King (Year 6)will be going on maternity and family leave from the second week of next term. We also wish Serena and Greg the very best for the future.
Anna Moore (Year 5)will be going on leave for term four and the duration of 2024. Anna has been given a wonderful opportunity to play hockey overseas - see Anna’s explanation below. Best of luck Anna!

" I will be playing in the Vitality Women’s England Hockey League (EHL) for the 2023/24 season as part of the East Grinstead (EG) Hockey Club’s 1st team. EG were the 2022/23 season EHL champions earning them a ticket to play in the EuroHockey League Competition in April 2024. This is arguably the strongest national club hockey league in the world, underneath national teams, and Olympic and pro-league representation."

With the departure of Faye, Anna and Serena, we will be welcoming three new teachers to FPS next term.

Gemma Baker will replace Faye on Faye’s days (Monday and Tuesday)
Lucy Papaioannou will replace Anna
Gemma Rymer will replace Serena

‘A Special Delivery’

During my recent classroom visits, I noticed that Year 2 have been learning about letter writing, and they have been writing persuasive letters with ideas for improvements to the school. I was fortunate to have all of 2C in my office last week to deliver the beautifully written letters. Below are their suggestions:

A double slide (Sophie)
School pets (Roy)
More playtime (Emilio)
More lunchtime activities (Isobel)
A hot tub (Harriet)
A video game room (Trinity)
Another oval (Tarquin)
A soccer field (Matilda)
More playground equipment (Heide)
More play time (Evie)
A video games room (Thomas)
More play equipment (Tessa)
A bigger indoor basketball court (Morris)
Video game room (Sebastian)
Bring ipads from home (Harper)
Real grass in the yard (William)
More choice for lunch orders (Maddie)

I don’t think that I’ll have time to write back to everyone, but I will definitely visit 2C before the end of term so that they can ask me more questions.

And from what I’ve heard, I should soon be receiving the rest of the Y2 suggestions - I will share these in a newsletter next term.

End of Term Wrap Up

Term Three has been such a wonderful ten weeks. I see the ongoing key elements of Learning, Creativity, Wellbeing, Community and Fun every time I set foot inside a classroom. This extends to the fabulous experiences on camp, at the swimming pool, the athletics track, the school yard and many more examples.

Congratulations to all of our students on their efforts this term. Thank you to our wonderful staff who continue to shine every day, and thank you to families for your support.

A reminder that we have a 1.30pm assembly on Friday, followed by a 2pm dismissal.

Best wishes for the rest of the week and for the holiday break.

~ Paul Wallace, Principal